The subject of the present invention is a process for the soil-release treatment of articles based on woven cotton by depositing a soil-release agent on the said article in the course of a washing, rinsing and/or softening or drying operation(s), and a soil-release agent for articles based on woven cotton.
A first subject of the invention consists of a process for the soil-release treatment of articles based on woven cotton by depositing, in the course of a washing, rinsing and/or softening or drying operation(s), an amphiphilic soil-release agent on the said article, the said soil-release agent being soluble or dispersible in the treatment medium and having
at least one unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton by electrostatic interaction
and at least one unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) capable of configuring the said agent at the cotton/water interface, it being possible for the said unit (MH) itself to be one of the constituents of the unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) or to be chemically bonded to the unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) via a hydrophilic chain,
the said soil-release agent being employed during washing by means of a washing formulation, during rinsing and/or softening by means of a rinsing and/or softening formulation or during drying by means of an absorbent support.
According to the invention, the said process makes it possible to treat, against soil, articles made of woven cotton fibres; this process in also suitable for the treatment of articles consisting of a mixture of cotton fibres and of other, natural, artificial or synthetic, fibres such as viscose, polyesters, polyacrylic fibres . . . , it being possible for the fibres other than cotton to represent up to 65% of the mixture of fibres.
Preferably, the said unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) is a functional group having a cationic character (MC) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton and its counter-ion.
It is therefore preferably a process for the soil-release treatment of articles based on woven cotton by depositing, in the course of a washing, rinsing and/or softening or drying operation(s), an amphiphilic soil-release agent on the said article, the said soil-release agent being soluble or dispersible in the treatment medium and having
at least one unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton and its counter-ion
and at least one unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) capable of configuring the said agent at the cotton/water interface, it being possible for the said unit (MH) itself to be one of the constituents of the unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC), by chemically bonding to the heteroatom of the unit (MC), or to be chemically bonded to the unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) via a hydrophilic chain,
the said soil-release agent being employed during washing by means of a washing formulation, during rinsing and/or softening by means of a rinsing and/or softening formulation or during drying by means of an absorbent support.
The expression xe2x80x9cfunctional group having a cationic character (MC)xe2x80x9d should be understood to mean any functional group which is either cationic as it is or having an electrophilic atom.
Among functional groups having a cationic character, mention may be made of ammonium and phosphonium groups, groups derived from Lewis bases such am primary, secondary or tertiary amines, betaines, sultaines, glycinates . . .
The expression xe2x80x9cunit having a hydrophobic character (MH) capable of configuring the soil-repellent agent at the cotton/water interfacexe2x80x9d should be understood to mean any unit which, in the treatment medium, favours the partition of the soil-release molecule between the water and the surface of the article based on woven cotton. These units having a hydrophobic character make it possible to increase, at least locally, the thickness of the surface layer of electrostatic charges on the cotton. Preferably, these units having a hydrophobic character are also capable of interacting with components of the soil.
The counter-ions capable of forming a malt with the said cationic functional groups may be of any nature. Mention may be made of halide (Clxe2x88x92, Brxe2x88x92, . . . ) ions, acetate ions, sulphate ions, sulphonate ions, phosphate ions . . .
Among the preferred counter-ions, mention may be made in particular of Brxe2x88x92 and Clxe2x88x92 ions.
Among units having a hydrophobic character (MH), mention may be made of hydrocarbon groups, such as alkyls, alkenyls, which may be linear, branched or cyclic, aryls . . . containing at least 4 carbon atoms and preferably from 8 to 20 carbon atoms. Mention may most particularly be made of C4-C20 alkyl groups.
The said unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) may itself be one of the substituents of the heteroatom of the unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC), or may be chemically bonded to the said unit (MC) via a hydrophilic chain.
Among hydrophilic chains mention may be made of hydrophilic oligomer or polymer chains consisting of similar or different oligomer or polymer units from those derived from
polysaccharides (guar, cellulose derivatives, alginates, starch derivatives . . . )
polyoxyalkylene glycols (polyoxyethylene glycols . . . )
copolyesters, especially terephthalic copolyesters (ethylene terephthalate/poly(oxyethylene) terephthalate copolymers . . . )
sulphonated, especially terephthalic copolyesters (copolymers derived from terephthalic, isophthalic or sulphoisophthalic acids, anhydrides or diesters and from a diol . . . )
polyvinyl alcohols and their copolymers
acrylic polymers and copolymers
. . .
optionally carrying hydrophilic functional groups such as sulphonate, carboxylate, phosphate . . .
The amounts of units carrying functional groups having a cationic character (MC) are such that they ensure, during the treatment, sufficient binding of the soil-release agent molecule to the surface of the cotton article.
Amounts of about 0.1 to 40 parts by weight of cationic functional groups per 100 parts by weight of soil-repellent agent are generally satisfactory. In the case of ammonium functional groups, these may represent about 0.01 to 4 grams of nitrogen per 100 grams of soil-release agent.
The amounts of units having a hydrophobic character (MH) are such that, during the treatment, they ensure that the soil-repellent molecule is in hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance (HLB) enabling it to partition between the water and the surface of the article based on woven cotton. An HLB of greater than 15 is generally satisfactory.
The hydrophilicity of the soil-release molecule is such that the latter can be removed during the next washing at the same time as the moil.
Among amphiphilic soil-release agents which may be employed, mention may be made in particular of cationic surfactants and oligomers or polymers formed from a hydrophilic hydrocarbon oligomer or polymer backbone having, within its chain or as branches, units carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) with its counter-ion and units having a hydrophobic character (MH).
Among cationic surface-active soil-release agents, mention may be made in particular of those of formula:
R1R2R3R4N+Xxe2x88x92
where
R1, R2 and R3 are similar or different and represent H or an alkyl radical containing less than 4 carbon atoms, preferably 1 or 2 carbon atoms,
R4 represents an alkyl radical containing more than 4 carbon atoms, preferably about 8 to 20 carbon atoms and
Xxe2x88x92 is a halide, preferably bromide, ion, acetate ion, sulphate ion . . .
Mention may be made most particularly of dodecyltrimethylammonium, tetradecyltrimethylammonium and cetyltrimethylammonium bromides.
Among oligomeric or polymeric soil-release agents, mention may be made in particular of cationic alkyl guars and cationic alkyl hydroxypropyl guars.
Mention may also be made, by way of novel industrial product constituting a second subject of the invention, of an oligomeric, polymeric or copolymeric soil-repellent agent having
at least one unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton and its counter-ion
and at least one unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) containing at least 4 carbon atoms, preferably from 8 to 20 carbon atoms, capable of configuring the said agent at the cotton/water interface, chemically bonded to the unit carrying a functional group hating a cationic character (MC) via a hydrophilic chain consisting of an oligomer, polymer or copolymer of vinyl alcohol.
Preferably, the functional groups having a cationic character (MC) are ammonium functional groups of formula:
R1R2R3N+xe2x80x94
where
R1, R2 and R3 
are similar or different and represent H or an alkyl radical containing less than 4 carbon atoms, preferably 1 or 2 carbon atoms, optionally substituted, especially by one or more hydroxyl functional groups,
or else together form, with the nitrogen atom N+, at least one aromatic or non-aromatic ring, the said functional groups having a cationic character (MC) being chemically bonded to the oligomer, polymer or copolymer chain of the polyvinyl alcohol directly by a Cxe2x80x94C bond or indirectly via a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group containing at least one heteroatom. Among functional groups having a cationic character (MC), mention may in particular be made of those derived from glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride or bromide, or (1-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)trimethylammonium chloride. Among divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon groups containing at least one heteroatom, mention may be made of those having an other free bond, an ester free bond, a urethane free bond, an acetal free bond, an amide free bond . . . Among counter-ions capable of forming a salt with these functional groups having a cationic character, mention may be made of halide (Clxe2x88x92, Brxe2x88x92, . . . ) ions, acetate ions, sulphate ions, sulphonate ions, phosphate ions
Among units having a hydrophobic character (MH), mention may be made of linear or branched, preferably linear, alkyl radicals containing from 8 to 20 carbon atoms, it being possible for these to be chemically bonded to the oligomer, polymer or copolymer chain of the polyvinyl alcohol directly by a Cxe2x80x94C bond or indirectly via a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group containing at least one heteroatom. Among divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon groups containing at least one heteroatom, mention may be made of those having an other free bond, an aster free bond, a urethane free bond, an acetal free bond, an amide free bond . . . Preferably, the said agent contains about 0.1 to 10, preferably from 1 to 6, units carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) per 100 monomer units of the oligomer, of the polymer or of the copolymer of polyvinyl alcohol and from 0.01 to 10, preferably from 0.1 to 5, units having a hydrophobic character (MH) per 100 monomer units of the polyvinyl alcohol polymer or copolymer. Among vinyl alcohol oligomers, polymers and copolymers constituting the hydrophilic chain, mention may be made of those having a molecular mass of about 500 to 500,000, preferably of about 1000 to 100,000; the said copolymers may contain up to 5 mol % of units derived from at least one comonomer, such as vinyl acetate, ethylene, maleic anhydride . . .
The said soil-release agent forming the subject of the invention may be obtained, for example, by modification of a homopolymer or of a copolymer of vinyl acetate, at least partially hydrolyzed into (co)polyvinyl alcohol (i.e. hydrolyzed to at least 80%) by grafting using compounds which are precursors of the units carrying a cationic functional group (MC) and of the hydrophobic units (MH); this modification by grafting involves substitution reactions (for example, esterification, acetalization, etherification . . . ) well known to those skilled in the art and described, in particular, in xe2x80x9cPolyvinyl Alcohol Developmentsxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94Ed. C. A. Finch (Wiley)xe2x80x94pages 183 et seq. and 84 et seq. It may also be prepared by radical copolymerization of vinyl acetate and of comonomers which are precursors of the units carrying a cationic functional group (MC) and of the hydrophobic units (MH), followed by hydrolysis (deacetalization). This type of process in also well known to those skilled in the art and described in xe2x80x9cPolyvinyl Alcohol Developmentsxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94Ed. C. A. Finch (Wiley). Thus, one particular soil-release agent may be obtained by modification of a polyvinyl alcohol using (2,3-epoxypropyl)trimethylammonium chloride followed by a modification using an alkylisocyanate.
The amounts of soil-release agent which can be used according to the treatment method of the invention depend on the nature of the molecule employed. The said amounts may be of about 0.05 to 5 grams per litre of treatment medium.
According to the invention, the soil-release agent may be employed in the course of a washing operation by means of a powder or liquid washing formulation (detergent composition), the treatment medium consisting of the washing bath. The powder or liquid detergent compositions may contain of about 0.02 to 20% of their weight of the said soil-release agent.
Present alongside the said soil-release agent may be other additives of the type described below:
SURFACTANTS, in amounts corresponding to approximately 3-40% by weight with respect to the detergent composition, these surfactants being such as:
Anionic Surfactants
alkyl ester sulphonates of formula Rxe2x80x94CH(SO3M)xe2x80x94COORxe2x80x2, where R represents a C8-20, preferably C10-C16, alkyl radical, Rxe2x80x2 represents a C1-C6, preferably C1-C3, alkyl radical and M represents an alkali-metal (sodium potassium, lithium) or ammonium cation, which may or may not be substituted (methyl-, dimethyl-, trimethyl-, tetraethylammonium, dimethylpiperidinium . . . ) or a derivative of an alkanolamine (monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine . . . ). Mention may most particularly be made of methyl enter sulphonates in which the radical R is C14-C16;
alkyl sulphates of formula ROSO3M, where R represents a C5-C24, preferably C10-C18, alkyl or hydroxyalkyl radical, M representing a hydrogen atom or a cation of the same definition as above, an well as their ethoxylated (EO) and/or propoxylated (PO) derivatives, having on average from 0.5 to 30, preferably from 0.5 to 10, EO and/or PO units;
alkylamide sulphates of formula RCONHRxe2x80x2 OSO3M where R represents a C2-C22, preferably C6-C20, alkyl radical, Rxe2x80x2 represents a C2-C3 alkyl radical, M representing a hydrogen atom or a cation of the same definition as above, as well as their ethoxylated (EO) and/or propoxylated (PO) derivatives having on average from 0.5 to 60 EO and/or PO units;
saturated or unsaturated C8-C24, preferably C14-C20, fatty acid salts, C9-C20 alkylbenzene sulphonates, primary or secondary C8-C22 alkyl sulphonates, alkyl glycerol sulphonates, sulphonated polycarboxylic acids described in GB-A-1,082,179, paraffin sulphonates, N-acyl-N-alkyltaurates, alkyl phosphates, isethionates, alkyl succinamates, alkyl sulphosuccinates, monoesters or diesters of sulphosuccinates, N-acyl sarcosinates, sulphates of alkyl glycosides, polyethoxycarboxylates the cation being an alkali metal (sodium, potassium, lithium), an ammonium residue, which may or may not be substituted (methyl-, dimethyl-, trimethyl-, tetramethylammonium, dimethylpiperidinium . . . ), or a derivative of an alkanolamine (monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine . . . );
Nonionic Surfactants
polyalkoxylated (polyethoxylated, polypropoxylated, polybutoxylated) alkylphenols, the alkyl substituent of which is C6-C12 and containing from 5 to 25 oxyalkylene units; by way of example, mention may be made of TRITON X-45, X-114, X-100 or X-102 sold by Rxc3x6hm and Haas;
glucosamide, glucamide, glycerolamide;
polyalkoxylated C8-C22 aliphatic alcohols containing from 1 to 25 oxyalkylene (oxyethylene, oxypropylene) units; by way of example, mention may be made of TERGITOL 15-S-9, TERGITOL 24-L-6 NMW, sold by Union Carbide Corp., NEODOL 45-9, NEODOL 23-65, NEODOL 45-7 and NEODOL 45-4 sold by Shell Chemical Company, and KYRO EOB sold by The Procter and Gamble Company.
the products resulting from the condensation of ethylene oxide, the compound resulting from the condensation of propylene oxide with propylene glycol, such as the PLURONICs sold by BASF;
the products resulting from the condensation of ethylene oxide, the compound resulting from the condensation of propylene oxide with ethylenediamine, such as the TETRONICs sold by BASF;
amine oxides such as C10-C18 alkyldimethylamine oxides and C8-C,22 alkoxydihydroxyethylethylamine oxides;
the alkyl polyglycosides described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,647;
C8-C20 fatty acid amides
ethoxylated fatty acids
ethoxylated fatty amides
ethoxylated amines
Amphoteric and Zwitterionic Surfactants
alkyldimethylbetaines, alkylamidopropyldimethylbetaines, alkyltrimethylsulphobetaines, and products of the condensation of fatty acids and protein hydrolysates;
alkylamphoacetates or alkylamphodiacetates, the alkyl group of which contains from 6 to 20 carbon atoms.
ADJUVANTS IMPROVING THE PROPERTIES OF SURFACTANTS (BUILDER AGENTS), in amounts corresponding to approximately 5-50%, preferably approximately 5-30% by weight in the case of the liquid detergent formulations, or approximately 10-80%, preferably 15-50% by weight in the case of the powder detergent formulations, builder agents such as:
Inorganic Builder Adjuvants
alkali-metal, ammonium or alkanolamine polyphosphates (tripolyphosphates, pyrophosphates, orthophosphates, hexametaphosphates);
tetraborates or borate precursors;
silicates, in particular those having an SiO2/Na2O ratio of from 1.6/1 to 3.2/1, and the lamellar silicates described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,839;
alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal carbonates (bicarbonates and sesquicarbonates);
cogranulates of hydrated alkali-metal silicates and of alkali-metal (sodium or potassium) carbonates rich in silicon atoms in the Q2 or Q3 form, theme being described in EP-A-488,868;
crystalline or amorphous alkali-metal (sodium, potassium) or ammonium aminosilicates, such as zeolites A, P, X . . . ; zeolite A having a particle size of about 0.1-10 micrometres in preferred.
Organic Builder Adjuvants
water-soluble polyphosphonates (1-hydroxy-1-ethane-1-diphosphonates, salts of methylene diphosphonates. . . )
water-soluble salts of carboxylic polymers or copolymers or their water-soluble salts such as:
polycarboxylate others (oxydisuccinic acid and its salts, tartrate monosuccinic acid and its salts, tartrate disuccinic acid and its salts
hydroxypolycarboxylate others
citric acid and its salts, mellitic acid, succinic acid and their salts
salts of polyacetic acidand (ethylenediaminetetraacetates, nitrilotriacetates, N-(2-hydroxyethyl) nitrilodiacetates)
C5-C20 alkyl succinic acids and their salts (2-dodecenyl succinates, lauryl succinates)
carboxylic polyacetal esters
polyaspartic acid, polyglutamic acid and their salts
polyimides derived from the polycondensation of aspartic acid and/or of glutamic acid
polycarboxymethylated derivatives of glutamic acid or of other amino acids.
BLEACHING AGENTS, in amounts of approximately 0.1-20%, preferably approximately 1-10% by weight, optionally combined with BLEACHING ACTIVATORS, in quantities of approximately 0.1-60%, preferably approximately 0.5-40% by weight, theme agents and activators being such as
Bleaching Agents
perborates, such as sodium perborate monohydrate or sodium perborate tetrahydrate
peroxy compounds such as sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, pyrophosphate peroxyhydrate, urea hydrogen peroxide, sodium peroxide, sodium persulphate, preferably combined with a bleaching activator generating, in situ in the detergent washing medium, a carboxylic peroxyacid; among these activators, mention may be made of tetraacetylethylenediamine, tetraacetylmethylenediamine, tetraacetylglycoluryl, sodium p-acetoxybenzene sulphonate, pentaacetyl glucose, octaacetyl lactose
percarboxylic acids and their salts (called xe2x80x9cpercarbonatesxe2x80x9d) such am magnesium monoperoxyphthalate hexahydrate, magnesium metachloroperbenzoate, 4-nonylamino-4-oxoperoxybutyric acid, 6-nonylamino-6-oxoperoxycaproic acid, diperoxydodecanedioic acid, the nonylamide of peroxysuccinic acid, decyldiperoxy-succinic acid.
These agents may be combined with at least one of the soil-release or anti-redeposition agents mentioned below. Non-oxygenated bleaching agents, acting by photo-activation in the presence of oxygen, such as sulphonated aluminium and/or zinc phthalocyanines, may also be mentioned.
Other SOIL-RELEASE AGENTS, in amounts of approximately 0.01-10%, preferably approximately 0.1-5% and most particularly about 0.2-3% by weight, these agents being such an
cellulose derivatives such an cellulose hydroxy-ethers, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, hydroxybutyl methyl cellulose
polyvinyl esters grafted onto polyalkylene backbones, such as polyvinyl acetates grafted onto polyoxyethylene backbones (EP-A-219,048)
polyvinyl alcohols
polyester copolymers based on ethylene terephthalate and/or propylene terephthalate and polyoxyethylene terephthalate units, with an ethylene terephthalate and/or propylene terephthalate (number of units)/polyoxyethylene terephthalate (number of units) molar ratio of about 1/10 to 10/1, preferably of about 1/1 to 9/1, the polyoxyethylene terephthalates having polyoxyethylene units with a molecular weight of about 300 to 5000, preferably of about 600 to 5000 (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,959,230, 3,893,929, 4,116,896, 4,702,857 and 4,770,666);
sulphonated polyester oligomers obtained by sulphonation of an oligomer derived from ethoxylated allyl alcohol, dimethyl terephthalate and 1,2-propylene diol, having from 1 to 4 sulphonated groups (U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,451)
polyester copolymers based on propylene terephthalate and polyoxyethylene terephthalate units, these being terminated by ethyl or methyl units (U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,730), or polyester oligomers terminated by alkylpolyethoxy groups (U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,857) or sulphopolyethoxy anionic groups (U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,580), sulphoaroyl anionic groups (U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,896)
sulphonated polyester copolymers derived from a terephthalic, isophthalic and sulphoisophthalic acid, anhydride or diester and from a diol (FR-A-2,720,399)
ANTI-REDEPOSITION AGENTS, in amounts of approximately 0.01-10% by weight in the came of a powder detergent composition and approximately 0.01-5% by weight in the came of a liquid detergent composition, these agents being such as
ethoxylated monoamines or polyamines, polymers of ethoxylated amines (U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,898, EP-A-11,984)
carboxymethyl cellulose
sulphonated polyester oligomers obtained by the condensation of isophthalic acid, of dimethyl sulphosuccinate and of diethylene glycol (FR-A-2,236,926)
polyvinylpyrrolidones
CHELATING AGENTS for iron and magnesium, in amounts of about 0.1-10%, preferably about 0.1-3% by weight, theme agents being such an
aminocarboxylates such an ethylenediaminetetraacetates, hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetates, nitrilotriacetates
aminophosphonates, such as nitrilotris(methylene)phosphonates
polyfunctional aromatic compounds such as dihydroxydisulphobenzenes
POLYMERIC DISPERSING AGENTS, in amounts of about 0.1-7% by weight, in order to control the calcium and magnesium hardness, theme agents being such as
water-soluble salts of polycarboxylic acids with a molecular mass of about 2000 to 100,000, obtained by polymerization or copolymerization of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids such as acrylic acid, maleic acid or anhydride, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, aconitic acid, mesaconic acid, citraconic acid, methylenemalonic acid and, most particularly, polyacrylates with a molecular mass of about 2000 to 10,000 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,067), copolymers of acrylic acid and of maleic anhydride with a molecular mass of about 5000 to 75,000 (EP-A-66,915)
polyethylene glycols with a molecular mass of about 1000 to 50,000
FLUORESCENT AGENTS (BRIGHTENERS), in amounts of about 0.05-1.2% by weight, these agents being such as
stilbene derivatives, pyrazoline, coumarin, fumaric acid, cinnamic acid, azoles, methinecyanines, thiophenes . . . (xe2x80x9cThe production and application of fluorescent brightening agentsxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94M. Zahradnik, published by John Wiley and Sons, New Yorkxe2x80x941982)
FOAM-SUPPRESSING AGENTS, in amounts which can range up to 5% by weight, these agents being such as
C10-C24 monocarboxylic fatty acids or their alkali-metal or ammonium salts, or alkanolamines, triglycerides of fatty acids
aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as paraffins, waxes
N-alkylaminotriazines
monostearyl phosphates, monostearyl alcohol phosphates
polyorganosiloxane, oils or residues, optionally combined with silica particles
SOFTENING AGENTS, in amounts of approximately 0.5-10% by weight, those agents being such am clays
ENZYMES, in amounts which can range up to 5 mg by weight, preferably about 0.05-3 mg of active enzyme per gram of detergent composition, these enzymes being such as
proteases, amylases, lipases, cellulases, peroxydases (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,553,139, 4,101,457, 4,507,219 and 4,261,868)
OTHER ADDITIVES such as
alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, propanediol, ethylene glycol, glycerine)
buffer agents
perfumes
pigments.
The soil-release agent may also be employed during rinsing and/or softening by means of a liquid formulation for rinsing and/or softening articles, the treatment medium consisting of the rinsing and/or softening bath. The liquid rinsing and/or softening compositions may contain about 0.02 to 20% of their weight of the said soil-release agent.
Present alongside the said soil-repellent agent may be other additives of the type
combinations of anionic surfactants (laurylether sulphate . . . ), nonionic surfactants (ethoxylated fatty alcohols . . . ) and cationic surfactants (diester of triethanolamine quaternized by dimethyl sulphate, N-methylimidazoline tallow aster methyl sulphate . . . )
optical brighteners
enzymes.
According to the invention, the soil-release agent may also be introduced during drying in the wet laundry to be dried, by means of a support consisting, for example, of a strip of non-woven textile-impregnated with the said soil-release agent, it being possible for this support to contain approximately 20% of its weight of soil-repellent agent.